Looking for some tips or suggestions on how to improve your job search? Check out our blog below for a variety of topics to help get you started.
I know what you are thinking right now: Aren’t all interviews stress interviews? I would agree most interviews are stressful, but there is a type of interview that is specifically designed to be stressful—a stress interview. These are interviews that are set up to put you under stress and see how you handle the pressure. I am not a fan of this type of interview but have seen it used successfully. Here are a few tips that will help you if you get invited to a stress interview. Plus, these ideas will work in any interview setting.
The call I received last week went something like this: “I am getting phone interviews but nothing happens after that. I don’t understand what I am doing wrong.”
I recently spoke to a friend who knows she wants to make a change in her career, yet is struggling to decide what she wants to do. We talked about how she could figure that out. I think the best place to start is figuring out what you enjoy doing. This is key because you spend somewhere between 40-60 hours (maybe more) at work. You must discover what you enjoy doing and what you are good at. If you have read my book, Dream Catchers: How to Get Your Dream Job in any Economy, you may recall that the first three steps focus on getting your mindset correct and clarifying what you really want to do. I will share an abbreviated version of the three steps to get you started.
I recently read this story and it really impacted me and my thought process on what I say or don’t say.
Strolling through Athens, Socrates crossed paths with a friend. His friend grinned and said, “Socrates listen to what I just heard about one of your students!”
Before the man could blurt out his story, Socrates said, “Just a moment. Before you tell me, I’d like to evaluate the news to see if it is of benefit to hear it. It’s the triple screening method for filtering through information.
I recently attended my nephew’s high school graduation. He graduated from McCallie School, a prestigious all-boys prep school. I listened to all these young men’s future college plans. It was an impressive list of schools from Southern Methodist University, University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee, United States Naval Academy, Baylor, Duke University, University of Mississippi, and several others. I watched their young, naive faces and thought about what is next for them. They have so much ahead of them with college life, new friends, living on their own, meeting potential spouses, entering the work force, and possibly becoming fathers. hat a wonderful time in their lives with so much ahead of them.
Late last week, I had breakfast with a dear friend of more than 20 years to discuss her future. She had recently been let go from her job due to budget constraints, and we were talking about what the next step was in her life.
She said, “When I called you, I thought I was going to ask you for help finding a job, but instead I have a plan.”
You may or may not have noticed that I haven’t posted in a while. I let something called “life” get in the way. I changed jobs on April 9 to become the vice president of human resources for Upstream Rehabilitation. I lost my dear father-in-law, George Hobbs, on April 14. My daughter Jamie went to two proms. I had some minor health concerns. Isn’t my list impressive?
It is much easier to be patient when it is not you waiting for the phone call. I am working with a client who had a great first interview and was waiting on a call back for a second interview. At the end of the phone call, the employer said they would get back to her. They did call her back, and now they are trying to set up a phone interview. So far, the two people can’t get their schedules coordinated. So now she is anxiously awaiting the call back from the employer. Her question to me is, “What should I do while I wait? I had several ideas for her that might work for you too.
At least once a week I hear, “I have way too much experience to fit all of it on a one-page résumé.” I have to disagree. I believe someone with 1-50 years of work experience can still consolidate it to one page. I think what people struggle with is they forget why they are creating a résumé.
I am working with a new client on his job hunt. He is extremely bright, has a strong work history, and is motivated to work. So what is going on in his life that is standing in his way? Why is he struggling to make positive progress toward his goal? We are just starting to explore this to uncover what might be in his way.
